We would like to wish the best of luck to all our members and service users who began their State exams this week. We would also like to remind Leaving Cert students living with epilepsy and their families of the State Examinations Commission’s (SEC) procedures for deferred exams for students who experience a seizure during their exams over the next number of weeks.
First introduced in 2023 following advocacy work by Epilepsy Ireland, the measure addresses a common worry for many Leaving Cert students living with epilepsy.
This year’s SEC circular states:
“Candidates who experience serious accident, injury or illness (either unexpectedly or a flare up of an existing condition which render them unable to sit their examinations) will be able to defer some or all of their examinations depending on the timing, nature and severity of their condition.”
In the document, the State Examinations Commission explicitly recognises epilepsy as a medical condition that may prevent a student from participating in or completing an exam.
As was the case last year, the application process in all cases is school-led and is not an automatic entitlement.
There are several criteria and limitations to the scheme, which you can find in the SEC circular which is available to download at the end of this article, or by visiting the SEC website. The circular also outlines the process for making an application.
In summary, if a medical emergency occurs during an exam:
- Students/ parents should tell the school immediately that a student could not complete their exam.
- The school authority must initially notify the State Examinations Commission of the application on the same day as the missed exam. Both the school and the candidate and/or parent/guardian must complete a declaration as part of the application.
- The school will have a further five working days to complete the application process and provide all appropriate medical evidence to the State Examinations Commission. This includes evidence from a medical consultant only with three key pieces of information:
- A diagnosis of epilepsy
- How the condition impacted on the student’s exam performance
- How many dates the student will be absent from the exam process
We are pleased to see the continuation of this valuable resource during what can be one of the most stressful times in a young person’s life. We will continue to closely monitor how the system works for this year’s cohort of Leaving Cert students.
Please do get in touch at info@epilepsy.ie if we can be of assistance, or to let us know if you or a family member have applied for a deferral.
Best of luck to everyone in their exams in the weeks ahead!